CERN & Society Foundation Annual Review 2014

I am delighted to serve as the first Chairperson
of the CERN & Society Foundation. My introduction
to CERN as a student in the mid-1980s
was a life-changing experience. On graduation I
returned as a research fellow working on the Large
Electron–Positron Collider, but eventually moved
into a career in investments. More than 20 years
after leaving CERN, I met Rolf Heuer, the current
Director-General. When I heard his vision of creating
a foundation that would expand CERN’s ability to
reach a wider audience, I was keen to be involved.
Science is, in some respects, a field of study that is
open largely to the most privileged. To do it well
requires resources – trained educators, good facilities,
textbooks, access to research and, of course,
opportunity. These are not available universally.
I was fortunate to become a summer student at
CERN, but that is only possible for a lucky few,
and there are many places in the world where even
basic access to textbooks or research libraries is
limited or non-existent.
To those outside of the field of science, there is not
always a good understanding of why these things
matter. The return on a country’s investment in
science will come years into the future, beyond
short-term electoral cycles. There can appear to be
more immediate and pressing concerns competing
for limited spending, so advocacy of the wider benefits
to society of investment in science is important.
These include a philosophy of sharing, of ‘science
for peace’, arising from CERN’s roots as a postwar
intergovernmental organisation with a purpose
beyond the concerns of individual nation states,
where people from many different cultures and
languages come together to exercise their curiosity
and apply diverse intelligences to understanding the
origins of our Universe.
CERN can directly benefit society through related
projects that exist outside its fundamental research
remit, and which therefore require external funding.
The spirit of scientific discovery, conjured by
the CERN name, is attractive to young people and
CERN has infrastructure with spare capacity that
can be put to productive use, for instance to make
a unique contribution to biomedical research.
In June 2014, after many months of hard work, the
CERN & Society Foundation was established “to
spread the CERN spirit of scientific curiosity for
the inspiration and benefit of society”. Through the
projects we support, we aim to excite young people
in the understanding and pursuit of science; to provide
researchers in less privileged parts of the world
with the tools and access they need to enable them
to engage with the wider scientific community; to
advocate the benefit of pure scientific research to
key influencers; to inspire cultural activities and
scientific crossover with culture and the arts; and
to further the development of science in practical
applications for the wider benefit of society as a
whole, whether in medicine, technology or the
environment. The excitement generated by the
Large Hadron Collider – not dissimilar to space
flight in the 60’s – gives us a unique opportunity
to contribute to society in ways not possible within
the constraints of dedicated member-state funding.
To translate this vision into reality will, of
course, take time. The Foundation currently has
a three-person board, made up of myself, Peter
Jenni and the CERN Director-General. We are
fortunate to have received some initial generous
donations to get the initiative off the ground and
allow us to fund our first projects.
The Foundation benefits from the advice of the
CERN Fundraising Advisory Board (FAB), a body
of CERN staff, chaired by Markus Nordberg, which
ensures our compliance with CERN’s Ethical Policy
for Fundraising; the hard work of CERN’s Development
Office, led by Matteo Castoldi; the support of
our governance and development consultant, Lucy
Blythe; and help from volunteer project manager
Stuart Storr. FAB helps us filter ideas for projects
looking for support, and recommends those that are
likely to have the highest impact in our three areas
of activity: education and outreach; innovation and
knowledge exchange; and creativity and culture.
Our website has details of current projects, and
a digital version of this Annual Review will be
available from summer 2015 with more information
and interactivity.
We wish to thank all the supporters who contributed
to CERN & Society projects in 2014. In the coming
year, we look forward to welcoming enthusiastic
partners – the early adopters who at the beginning
of our journey share this spirit of curiosity and want
to make an investment to help us make a difference.
DETECTOR INTERIOR
Anne Richards CVO CBE
CERN & Society Foundation Chairperson
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